Arabic Language Blog

Today, the UN General Assembly has voted to grant the Palestinians the status of non-member observer state  (دولة مراقب غير عضو).

138 member states voted in favour (لصالح), while 9 voted against (ضد), with 41 nations abstaining (امتنعت).

This is a great day for the Palestinian people, as it is a step forward on the way to having international recognition (الاعتراف الدولي ) of the Palestinian state (دولة فلسطينية) .

Although Israel and the US have strongly opposed (عارض) the move, and described it as a step backward for the peace process (عملية السلام)!

I believe this is a great historic decision that can make a big difference for the region by improving the prospects of peace and ending the historic injustice done to the Palestinian people! It would be really great to have two states (Israeli and Palestinain) living together in peace! We are probably one step closer to this today than we were yesterday, and it is very exciting!

“بطاقـــــــــــــــة هويـــــــــــــــة” (“Identity Card”) is a poem written some 40 years ago by a symbol of the Palestinian people, Arab poet محمـــــــــــود درويـــــــــــش (Mahmoud Darwish), inspired by the collective انتحـــــــــــال الهُويــــــــــــة (identity theft) to which the Palestinians have fallen victims since at least the year of النكبــــــــــــــة. 

“بطاقـــــــــــــــة هويـــــــــــــــة (“Identity Card“)

بطاقـــــــــــــــة هويـــــــــــــــة (Identity Card)

:سجل

Write down:

أنا عربــــــــــــــي

I am an Arab

ورقم بطاقتي خمســــــون ألف

And my ID number is 50,000

واطفالي ثمانيـــــــــــــــة

I got eight kids

وتاسعهم سيأتي بعد صيـــــف

And the nineth is due after the Summer

فهل تغضـــــــــب؟

So will you be mad?

: سجل

Write down:

أنا عربــــــــــــــي

I am an Arab

واعمل مع رفاق الكدح في محجر

And I work along my labour buddies in a stone quarry

واطفالي ثمانية

And I got eight kids

اسلّ لهم رغيف الخبز والأثواب والدفتر

I secure them bread, clothing, and notebooks

من الصخر

Hacked out from the rocks

ولا اتوسل الصدقات من بابك

And I don’t beg for charity at your door

ولا اصغر امام بلاط اعتابك

And I don’t lower myself at the footsteps of your court

فهل تغضـــــــــب؟

So will you be mad?

:سجل

Write down:

أنا عربــــــــــــــي

I am an Arab

انا اسم بلا لقب

I am a name without an epithet

صبور في بلاد كل ما فيها

Patient in a country where everything

يعيش بفورة الغضب

has a tantrum

جذوري

My roots

قبل ميلاد الزمان رست

Were deeply entranched before the birth of time

وقبل تَفَتُّــح الحقب

And prior to the ushering of eras

وقبل السرو والزيتون

Before cypresses and olive trees

وقبل ترعرع العشب

And even before the grass grew

ابي من اسرة المحراث لا من سادة نجب

My dad hails from a family of plowers, not blue-blood barons

وجدي كان فلاحا بلا حسب… ولا نسب

My grandpa was a farmer, totally unkown

يعلمني شموخ النفس قبل قراءة الكتب

Taught me about the zenith of the soul before teaching me how to read

ويبتي كوخ باطور من الأعواد والقصب

And my home is a cabin made out of sticks and bamboos

فلا ترضيك منزلتي؟

So are you displeased with my status?

!انا اسم بلا لقب

I am a name without an epithet!

:سجل

Write down:

انا عربي

I am an Arab

ولون الشعر فحمي ولون العين بني

Hair color: coal-like; eye color: brown

وميزاتي: على رأسي عقال فوق كوفية

Distinguishing marks:  I wear a headband on top of a keffiyeh

وكفي صلبة كالصخر… تخمش من يلامسها

And my palm is rock-solid, scratches whoever touches it

وعنواني: انا من قريــــة عزلاء… منسية

As to my address: I am from an isolated village, forgotten

شوارعها بلا اسماء

Its streets are unnamed

وكل رجالها… في الحقل والمحجر

And all its men are in the field or in the stone quarry

فهل تغضب؟

So will you be mad?

:سجل

Write down:

انا عربي

I am an Arab

سُلبت كروم اجدادي وارضا كنت افلحها

You stole the meadows of my ancestors and a land I used to cultivate

انا وجميع اولادي

Together with all my kids

فلم تترك لنا ولكل احفادي

You didn’t leave to us or to my offsping

… سوى هذي الصخور

Anything—except these rocks

فهل ستأخذها حكومتكم… كما قيلا؟

So will your government take them away as well, as it’s been announced

اذن

In that case

سجل

Write down

:برأس الصفحة الاولى

On top of the first page:

انا لا أكره الناس، ولا أسطو على أحد”

“I don’t hate people, and I don’t rob anyone

ولكني … اذا ما جعت،

But… If I starve to death, I’m left with nothing else but

آكل لحم مغتصبي

 The flesh of my usurper to feed from

“حذار… حذار… من جوعي ومن غضبي

So beware, beware of my hunger and anger”

* * *

 محمـــــــــــود درويـــــــــــش: “أوراق الزيتون” – 1973

Mahmoud Darwish: “The Olive Leafs“, 1973

Happy new year!

Happy new year!

عام سعيد! كل عام وأنتم بخير!

2011 is coming to its end, and in a few hours’ time, we will welcome a new year. I believe that 2011 has marked a turning point in the history of the Arab world, as it witnessed many revolutions in several Arab countries, one of which turned into a civil war in Libya. 2011 is indeed the year of the Arab spring with revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Bahrain and Syria. For the first time in decades, the Arab peoples decided to have their voices heard and to seize their right to democracy and freedom. The revolutions have been inspiring and refreshing to most people, however they have taken a heavy toll in each country. At the end of 2011, the revolution continues in Syria!

For more information about the Arab Spring, follow the links: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2011/mar/22/middle-east-protest-interactive-timeline 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Spring

2011 has also witnesses a change in the map of the Arab world. A new state was established in South Sudan. For more information about South Sudan, follow the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Sudan

The Palestinian people submitted a request to join the United Nations as a full member state, and Palestine was granted full membership at UNESCO. For more information, follow the link:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/31/us-palestinians-unesco-idUSTRE79U1ZY20111031

2011 has seen the first democratic elections in Tunisia and Egypt with Islamic parties winning the majority of the Parliamentary seats in both countries.

2011 has indeed been a very eventful year for the Arab peoples, and it has changed the Arab world dramatically! I hope that 2012 brings stability, justice, peace and prosperity to all the Arab peoples and to the whole wide world.